Spring! Oh thank Heavens

It is getting to be that time of the year again, where I walk around in the morning in my slippers and talk to my gardens.  When we moved into this house 2 years ago, my best friend assured the neighbors that we would be making some changes to the place and be good to have around.  I like people, (who would have guessed that) and living in a neighborhood gives me people to bother; visit with.  There were things about this place that I wanted to change and the first thing to go was the evergreen shrubs.  Apparently, everyone had evergreen shrubs on the block but by the time we moved in, ours were the remaining.  There was a stray arborvitae here and there but our house was surrounded.  The damned vile things acted like they were laying siege to the house and waiting to feast on the inhabitants.  In fact, there were one or two who had died of starvation.  Reinforcements lined the driveway trying to consume unaware vehicles.  My truck parked next to them, looked as if it was fending off an attack.  They were eating the porch already and made it difficult to see what was going on.  The truck fought back and succeeded to jerking every last living and dead furry bastards from the ground.  One last attempt by them was made as we hauled them to the dump, the truck looked as if it was being consumed by the bushes, but we were able to scrape them off into the brush pile at the waste station.  It took us a year but now; now we have bulbs and flowers in their stead.

Spring came finally, and now I go out and greet each soft green frond with a welcome.  Tulips, daffodils, hellebore and perennials now thrive in the evergreens absence.  The Rhododendrons are coming back from being smothered by the feisty shrubbery and I actually had flowers on them last year.  Roses are reaching for the sun, and while most of them were free and at this point are tentative at best; I am hoping to discover colors soon.  All of this new growth is defended by a chain link barrier that keeps the Hillyard rabbits at bay.  I have a floral exchange program going with several of the neighbors, periodically small orphans are leaning against the new fence in appreciative returns.  Matt down the street tends a garden on the corner and we exchange plants ever season.  The lovely lady next door has given me aegopodium (Goutweed) for my shaded areas and peonies that had been forced into dormancy by the soldiers that once stood on them, are making an appearance.  I have so many of them, I hardly know what to do with them.

Each spring brings new actors to the stage in my beds and I just love seeing each one as it unfolds.  Thus the coffee cup and slippers in the morning sun, they all need to be greeted as I do the neighbors.  My husband and I are regular visitors to plant nurseries in the area and there are a lot to wander through.  Here in the next few weeks, we will be crossing the mountains to purchase gallon plants for half the price, we want to line the back fence for privacy with smoke bushes that range from reds, through purples and finally land in green.  Opps, the sun is up.  I need to grab my slippers.  If you have orphans that need a plant home, lean them against the fence.  We will find a place to put them.